أَلَم تَعلَمي مَن قَد صَبَرتُ خِلافَهُ

أَلَم تَعلَمي مَن قَد صَبَرتُ خِلافَهُ

فَتَعتَبِري لَو أَنَّ لُبَّكِ نافِعُ

فَتَعتَبِري لَو أَنَّ لُبَّكِ نافِعُ

Do you not know whose loss I have patiently borne,

Do you not know whom I have had patience against

so you might take heed—if your good sense were of any use?

So take heed, if your heart had any benefit

أَلَم تَعلَمي عَمراً وَسُفيانَ قَبلَهُ

أَلَم تَعلَمي عَمراً وَسُفيانَ قَبلَهُ

وَضَمرةُ أَمسى فاتَني وَمَسافِعُ

وَضَمرةُ أَمسى فاتَني وَمَسافِعُ

Do you not know ʿAmr, and Sufyan before him,

Do you not know Umar and Sufyan before him

and Damra, now lost to me, and Masafiʿ?

And Damrah who passed away from me yesterday and defenders

أَفاضِلُ مِن وَهبٍ وَأَبناءِ عائِدٍ

أَفاضِلُ مِن وَهبٍ وَأَبناءِ عائِدٍ

وَمِن آلِ نَصرٍ صارِخٌ مُتَتابَعُ

وَمِن آلِ نَصرٍ صارِخٌ مُتَتابَعُ

Noble men of Wahb and the sons of ʿAʾid,

The best of Wahb and the sons of returning

and from Nasr's house, crier after crier.

And from the family of Nasr a continuous shouter

أولَئِكَ لا أَنتُنَّ كانوا فَوارِسي

أولَئِكَ لا أَنتُنَّ كانوا فَوارِسي

بِهُم كُنتُ اِستَخسي العِدى وَأَدافعُ

بِهُم كُنتُ اِستَخسي العِدى وَأَدافعُ

Those—not you women—were my horsemen;

They were not soft, they were my knights

with them I used to scorn the enemy and fight them off.

With them I would diminish the enemies and defend

وَقارَبتُ في أِشياءَ لَو أَنَّهُم مَعي

وَقارَبتُ في أِشياءَ لَو أَنَّهُم مَعي

لِباعَدتُ حَتّى تَستَقيمَ التَوابِعُ

لِباعَدتُ حَتّى تَستَقيمَ التَوابِعُ

And I have compromised on matters where, had they been with me,

And I approached things, if only they were with me

I would have held aloof until the consequences were set right.

I would have distanced until things aligned

فَلَيَّنَ مِنى الكاشِحونَ خلافَهُم

فَلَيَّنَ مِنى الكاشِحونَ خلافَهُم

فَأصبَحتُ لا أُعطي وَلا أَنا مانِعُ

فَأصبَحتُ لا أُعطي وَلا أَنا مانِعُ

So, after them, those harboring hatred wore me down,

So those opposing me softened against them

and now I neither give nor withhold.

And I became, neither giving nor preventing

وأَصبَحتُ أَرفي الشانئينَ رُفاهُمُ

وأَصبَحتُ أَرفي الشانئينَ رُفاهُمُ

لِيَربُوَ طِفلٌ أَو لِيُجبَرَ ظالِعُ

لِيَربُوَ طِفلٌ أَو لِيُجبَرَ ظالِعُ

And now I placate those who hate me, soothing them,

And I became raising the condition of the slanderers

so that a child may grow, or a limping man be mended.

So a child may grow or a rising may be mended

وَهَمَّ بِنا لَولا إِباءٌ عَلَيهُمُ

وَهَمَّ بِنا لَولا إِباءٌ عَلَيهُمُ

بَنو عَمِّنا إِذ زَعزَعَتنا الزَعازِعُ

بَنو عَمِّنا إِذ زَعزَعَتنا الزَعازِعُ

And, but for defiance against them, they would have sought to harm us—

And they thought of us, if not for refusal against them

our paternal cousins—when the tempests shook us.

The sons of our uncle when we were shaken by adversities